Skip to main content

Stop Apologizing!

Last week I went to California Pizza Kitchen with a friend of mine, I shared about my choices there in a previous post if you would like to see what I ended up ordering. Beyond that, however, I wanted to share with you the mild anxiety that I faced in making those decisions.

I've started the Time Management Course and was listening to Heather Robertson promote it when she was preparing its release last September. It dawned on me, as she shared her experience in prioritizing her own goals over others (not in selfishness, but in an effort to take care of herself), that I often feel the need to apologize for taking care of myself. Not only in managing my time, but also in my experience at CPK. Let me explain...

I gave myself permission to take my time in looking at the menu. When I found a suitable meal that was going to limit my carb intake, I began to order. However, the lunch specials of the 7" pizzas were pre-made and I was not able to order it on glutton free crust. I apologized to the server and to my friend for needing a few more moments to look over the menu! It seems silly, but I felt the pressure at that moment almost to order the whole glutton free pizza (15") and take the rest home. Well, I knew my budget would not allow for that, but I almost set aside my needs (and the needs for our household) to make that moment more convenient for others. I was glad that I did not, but it took an added effort to find the confidence to say, "You know what, I need more time to make this decision."

I do this all the time! I stop thinking of my family's needs and make an additional effort to serve everyone else. It is a godly thing to serve others and put them above ourselves. However, the mindset that I need to retrain is one in which I serve others to the point where I am too exhausted to take care of myself or my family. Kind of like the idea of putting on my own oxygen mask before I help my child. If I try to help my child first, I'm going to pass out and we are both going to suffocate!

If I fail to prioritize my time so that I am able to care for myself, my family and our household; I will in turn make ministry and service to others ineffective.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So Much to Take On

There is an unspoken pressure in our society to have it all together and know how we want to contribute to the world. Here's a little secret: nobody has it all together and and it's actually quite challenging to know what you want out of life and how that life is going to contribute to the rest of the world. When did all the things  become something more than simple? Two of my favorite books that I plan to go back to this Fall are Grace Not Perfection and The Simplified Life  by Emily Ley. She breaks down what it is to truly make room in your life and home for the most important things. The funny part is, those things  aren't "things" at all, they are people. People, family, friends, relationships... those are the most important things  in life. So, when my work, my menu, my workout schedule, my chore list all get in the way of my kids, my husband, my family time, my fellowship at church, my friends... That is a problem.  When I was a kid and people a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Semi-Quarantined and Semi-Healthy

We're now in July and just as it seemed our lives were working themselves back into normal, businesses were ordered to close up again (with the exception of outdoor seating and to-go options in restaurants), with no sight upon salons and the like being able to re-open.  Though life outside has continued to fluctuate, we have been able to continue with schedule adjustments and family time. Praise God we don't have outside commitments, besides church and hubby's work. We have been able to keep life pretty constant here and the ability to continue to fellowship and gather together at church has been such a blessing!  That being said, I am joyful in the ability to create consistency in my fitness and health regimen. Everything I have learned from several sources has given me the ability to continue in a downward weight trend and keep up healthy habits that support the goals I have for becoming healthier and stronger.  That's not to say that I haven't had a lot of strugg...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Just Want to Eat

I like food. Whew, I'm glad I could get that out there. Has anyone who LOVES food (probably more than we should), and being "health conscious," ever fasted? It is very difficult. Sometimes, I confess, I have fasted for the most wrong of reasons (is that a phrase? Let's say that it is): because I over -indulged and I am "effectively" punishing myself for not staying on plan. Because depriving myself of EVERYTHING will get me back on plan, right? No. Here's the thing, last week, I fasted with my church for a very right reason. However, I knew that in the past (and was heading toward this again), I had the wrong mindset around food. So, I fasted from social media and main meals. This meant that I had breakfast (6:30am) and snacks (the fast was 24 hours 8am-8am). It meant that I would not deprive myself of anything, I was just going to limit my time frames and was aware of my intake. There was still an evening struggle at small group with the snack table, ...
Post a Comment
Read more